CINCINNATI (AP) — Leroy “Sugarfoot” Bonner, frontman for the hit-making funk band the Ohio
Players, has died in southwestern Ohio. He was 69.

The Ohio Players, known for their brassy dance music, catchy lyrics and flamboyant outfits,
topped music charts in the 1970s with hits such as
Love Rollercoaster,
Fire,
Skin Tight and
Funky Worm.

A spokeswoman for a Newcomer Funeral Home in the Dayton suburb of Kettering said yesterday that
the family hadn’t scheduled any public services. There was a posting about his death on his current
band’s Facebook page. No other information was released immediately about his death Saturday.

Born in Hamilton, Bonner teamed up in the 1960s with core members of a group called the Ohio
Untouchables to form the Ohio Players. The band had a string of Top-40 hits in the mid-1970s and
continued to perform for years after that. He had remained active in recent years with a spinoff
band called Sugarfoot’s Ohio Players.

“Humble yet charismatic, soft-spoken and of few words, the weight of his thoughts, lyrics and
music has influenced countless other artists, songs and trends,” stated a posting attributed as an “
official family announcement” on the Facebook page of Sugarfoot’s Ohio Players. “He will be missed
but not forgotten as his legacy and music live on.”